Stillwater prepares for summer riverfront renovations

The big remake of the St. Croix riverfront in Stillwater will get underway this summer as contractors dig in on the Aiple House, the first step in a sweeping two-year plan to add new parks, new trails, a new canoe and kayak dock, and spots to fish and park.

The city also expects to renovate and make public the Moritz Bergstein Shoddy Mill and Warehouse on the city’s south end, near the Oasis Café, while adding a 300-foot-long courtesy dock and a new boat launch.

Most of the work will be paid for with a $6 million state grant, money raised from a local option sales tax and a private donation of $1 million.

It won’t all happen at once and shouldn’t snarl downtown traffic as the work is north of downtown. Bicyclists and walkers on the Brown’s Creek State Trail should pay attention when they cross the Aiple House driveway as trucks will be coming and going from the area.

Here’s a basic timeline of what to expect this year, and when the rest of the project will get done.

It all starts with the renovation of the Aiple House in June, a project that should last about five months, said city public works director Shawn Sanders.

“That’s going to be a really big project for us and kind of a gem along the river,” he said.

It will require a lot of updates as the onetime private home of the Aiple family is remade into a commercial building. An indoor swimming pool will be converted into a picnic pavilion enclosed in glass on three sides with garage doors on the river-facing side; the city envisions opening the doors to the river in the spring, summer and fall.

The house will also have meeting rooms, restrooms and some storage space. The city had bid openings for the project last month. Sanders said 15 contractors will be working on separate projects on the house, with Kraus-Anderson as the city’s construction manager.

The house may also have some areas for storage of privately owned canoes and kayaks, but those details are still being worked out, Sanders said.

A detached garage on the property will likely get converted into a picnic shelter this year.

An ADA-accessible canoe and kayak launch will be added to the Aiple property this year, along with trails from the house to the river.

Also this year, the city expects to renovate the Lowell Park pavilion, a historic structure just north of the Historic Lift Bridge that needs work on its foundation. Sanders said the $400,000 to $500,000 project would also see the gazebo’s roof reshingled.

Finally, an open space near the Moritz Bergstein Shoddy Mill and Warehouse might be converted into a park this year, with a picnic shelter and green space.

“There’s a good chance that could happen this summer,” Sanders said.

It’s possible that the National Park Service will have some kind of presence in the Aiple House building as the city hopes to see it serve as a gateway to the St. Croix Scenic Riverway. Park Superintendent Craig Hansen did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2026, the city will largely turn its attention to the shoreline that sits south of downtown. An architect is looking at the Mortiz Bergstein Shoddy Mill and Warehouse buildings now, Sanders said, and by next summer the city should be renovating those buildings into public spaces.

The summer of 2026 would also see the city install a 300-foot-long courtesy dock near the Moritz Bergstein buildings to allow visitors to arrive to Stillwater by boat.

On the far south end of Bridgeview Park, where there was once a boat launch, the city plans to rebuild the boat launch and add a parking lot.